Economic development, legislative, and business leaders joined community neighbors on Tuesday, October 24th to tour the 3 megawatt (MW) Bedford Solar Farm currently under construction. Attendees saw first-hand how O2 EMC incorporated innovative solar-tracking technology within steep slopes to maximize the energy production for the Town of Bedford. The project is located next to an unused brownfield site, and will power more than 500 homes. The completed project is expected to connect to the Bedford Town electric grid in December.
Notable Attendees:
- Steve Newman, Virginia Senator
- Robert Wandrei, Mayor of Bedford
- Bart Warner, Bedford Town Manager
- Susan Martin, President and CEO of Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce
- Meade Anderson, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
- Jon Buttram, Bedford Economic Development Authority
- Charles Elwell, Union Bank & Trust
- John Wagner, Bedford Electric Department
- Brad Creasy, Fire Chief
- DW Lawhorne, Director of Public Works
Press Coverage
- WSET13 (video): New solar farm nearing completion to provide town of Bedford with renewable energy
- WDBJ7 (video): Harvesting the sun: Bedford solar farm nearing completion
- Bedford Bulletin: Tapping into the sun
- The News & Advance: Building a Solar Farm
- Roanoke Times (Susan Martin, CEO, Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce): Clean energy drives business growth in Virginia
